PSL: Travels outside the Barge (w/Malcolm)

[empathicfault]

Piloting their new ship is a little difficult. It takes reading the (somehow enclosed) manual back-to-front and learning the control panel, now situated in what looks like a little closet on the window side of the living room. It's in the new hallway that leads to the small courtyard, which Will intends to decorate once they get this one chore done first.

Thankfully, the majority of the controls are intuition-based, going off the person who puts their hand on a small orb on the panel. The rest, as it turns out, is tweaking. And luckily (or otherwise), no tweaking is necessary for their first flight.

They're heading to Will's home world.

But Will doesn't specify where, just a year later than he left. he inadvertently brings them to where he'd left. The door opens from a wall of Hannibal's cliffside home, and looks out onto the driveway. The Dragon's wings are still there, staining the cement. They overlook the grey day and the churning seaside.

Will finds himself stuck in the doorway, unsure whether he's compelled to walk out and remember or slam the door shut and take them elsewhere.

Comments

[abrightboy]

"He didn't mean to leave you alone but he didn't say he forgives you," Malcolm tells him. "He died for you. That's what you get to keep."

[empathicfault]

Hannibal appears to take that in rather morosely. Will's death in such a way was not what Hannibal had wanted. "Forgiveness is an act that requires two," Hannibal eventually says, parroting prior words. "The betrayed and the betrayer."

Will watches as Hannibal shifts the glass in his hand. "And we've both taken those roles, before. 'Forgiveness' might be an alien term, at this point."

The glass goes through one more rotation- one more test of its weight- before Will commands, "Don't. You mess up another house of mine and I might really never forgive you." His tone is the same he uses when admonishing one of his dogs for tearing up a cushion.

Once the glass is placed (gently) back on the counter, Will's tone softens again. "I'm not leaving you alone this time, Hannibal. This isn't a goodbye. It's a scavenger hunt. The edges of every world lead to endless possibilities, and that's where we've always lived. You'll find your way to me. Or to Clarice."

Hannibal raises an eyebrow, and Will smirks. Teasing Hannibal with information he doesn't know is one of the best ways of keeping his attention.

Will leans his head towards Malcolm's and hums. "Are we there already?" he asks his husband, quietly. This has been genuinely good, but any longer of a discussion and it might turn into a fight.

[abrightboy]

"I suppose it's not nothing that you'll admit you've been both, even if it is only to manipulate him," Malcolm notes.

At Will's question, Malcolm glances towards the control room and nods.

He looks at Hannibal.

"He let me choose where to drop you and I didn't choose a hole. Don't press your luck looking for more mercy than that."

[empathicfault]

It says something, that Will had Malcolm do it. A level of trust Hannibal is unused to seeing Will give to anyone.

"You might wish I still ran with rabbits," Will notes, as if reading his mind. "But maybe Malcolm's in a good mood today." He nods his head towards the door. This is your cue, Hannibal.

The man closes his eyes and takes in a full breath, letting it out in a sigh. He opens his eyes to bid them adieu, but Will has somehow made close- about three feet in front of Hannibal- without any noise. He's holding something sharp--

It's a tie pin, a gold Victorian cross encrusted with rubies and a diamond. It was something Hannibal left when he was last on the Barge during a flood, along with sketches, a number of recipes, and multiple tongues (thanks, Harkin). "Here," Will says, tucking it into Hannibal's front jacket pocket. "To get you started."

Hannibal catches Will's wrist and holds him there for a moment, and looks into Will's eyes. "I have missed you so," is what he says, voice quiet and pleading and not at all with his usual decorum.

Will watches with a blank face until the words. Then he smiles, gently. "I look forward to our stars being the same once again. Good luck, Hannibal." The man might actually need it, for once.

He pulls away, and Hannibal lets him. Will rejoins Malcolm on the other end of the kitchen. Hannibal opens the door.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm takes a step forward when Hannibal grabs Will's wrist, but when no attack follows it, he makes himself stay there. One quick surge forward before he remembers restraint.

"I'd say it was nice to meet you, but it really wasn't," he says as Hannibal heads towards the door. "Interesting, yes. Nice... not so much."

[empathicfault]

Will's smile slides quickly into an amused grin. Hannibal nods his head in a gracious acknowledgement, looking towards Malcolm. "I will take 'interesting' as a compliment, from you. Thank you, Malcolm."

Will realizes Hannibal never got Malcolm's full name, and it's what powers his pleased smile as he kisses Malcolm on the temple. The move is simple possessiveness. He will miss Hannibal, but he always does. Will has chosen his life, and chosen to allow Hannibal the chance to crash through it again. He's sure of what he and Malcolm can handle together.

"Goodbye, Hannibal."

"Until next time."

And with that, Hannibal crosses their threshold. He's kind enough (if 'kindness' is even a factor here) to shut the door after himself.

Will closes his eyes and leans against Malcolm, hugging him more fully. He can feel tears forming and he's not entirely sure why, just yet.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm turns into him as well, wrapping his arms around him.

He remembers how he felt when he thought the Marahals shot his father. He knows what it's like to know what someone is and to know they poison you and also to not want to lose them.

"At least you know where he is. I liked that, when my father was in prison. I couldn't control how he was or what he did to me but I could control the exposure. Like the shutter of a camera."

[empathicfault]

Will could reply with an offhand comment about how he thought this was the best solution, or how Malcolm had a good point about the exposure (despite Will's historical lack of control in that area).

But he's just quiet, for awhile, and he hugs Malcolm back. It feels like he's been held in place for so long by what he thought he knew. And now that he's freed from it, he can feel his tired muscles sagging with the weight of it all.

"Thank you. For letting me do this." It took an enormous and extraordinary amount of trust and understanding. But Malcolm has always surprised him in that category. "...and for being here. With me."

[abrightboy]

“I’ll always be here with you,” Malcolm murmurs. He had some concerns - mostly about what Hannibal might do; Will had alleviated his concerns about the possibility of leaving him for Hannibal a long time ago - but now that it’s done, he feels calm.

He lifts his head to give Will a kiss.

“Always. Anywhere.”

[empathicfault]

"Always." Will agrees. They both knew the extent of that 'always,' much further than most would find sane or healthy.

But Will would never give it up. It works for them, and that's all it has to do. He kisses Malcolm again, slowly and gently.

"Let's- well, let's bounce around a few places just to be careful. Then to our spot in the woods?" There's no way Hannibal could follow them anywhere, truly. That doesn't mean it's easy for Will to accept that they don't need precautions. He's not fighting any hunches when it comes to safety, at the moment.

"We could show Franklin the place."

[abrightboy]

Franklin! Their new puppy. He grins up at Will. His new puppy? He'd almost forgotten with what was going on. Oh. Does that make him a bad dog owner? ...No. Stop that. He grabs Will's hand and takes him to the cockpit, even though it's only a few steps away.

"Do you think there's a 'random destination' setting in here?" he asks, surveying the panel. He's fine with hitting a few random places; he wants Will to feel safe in their safe place.